Do you know what a "Wind Chill Watch" is or what a "Hard Freeze Warning" means? If not, you're not alone. The National Weather Service (NWS) announced earlier this year it would change the way it talks about extreme cold weather.
Those changes went into effect Oct. 1 and could begin showing up in forecasts as the days get shorter and colder.
"The National Weather Service is basically consolidating some of its products together," says Christine Aiena, a meteorologist with the NWS in Wilmington, Ohio. "They're simplifying their suite of cold weather products, and the goal of this is to improve the messaging of hazards and provide better decision-making services."
What's changing
Extreme Cold consolidation and renaming
- Wind Chill Watch is now an Extreme Cold Watch
- Wind Chill Warning is now an Extreme Cold Warning
- Wind Chill Advisory is now a Cold Weather Advisory
Freeze consolidation
- Hard Freeze Watch is now a Freeze Watch
- Hard Freeze Warning is now a Freeze Warning
"The new NWS Cold Product Suite will allow NWS to communicate that cold is dangerous with or without wind. Wind chill will not go away, although emphasis will be placed on 'cold is cold' for public safety," the agency writes in an explanatory release.
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In short, an Extreme Cold Watch indicates conditions could turn severe, so people should pay attention to the weather.
An Extreme Cold Warning means dangerously cold air is expected, and you should take precautions if you have to be outside (wearing layers, cover any exposed skin, and limit time outdoors) because the weather conditions could cause frostbite or hypothermia.
"We want the public to worry about what the temperature is going to feel like," Aiena says. "Cold is cold, whether there's wind involved or not. If you see that there's an Extreme Cold Watch, it means that there's going to be dangerously cold air possible. With or without wind, it does not matter, it's going to have the same impacts on you. That's really what this boils down to."
The NWS advisories also will no longer differentiate between a freeze and a hard freeze. Now you'll see a Freeze Warning or a Freeze Watch based on projected temperatures.
"The goal of this is, basically, it doesn't matter how cold we're going to get, if it's going to freeze, it's going to freeze," Aiena says. "The bottom line with that is we don't want to confuse people with hard freeze versus freeze. We just want to communicate, 'hey, there's a chance for your plants to freeze, or potential for pipes to burst.' "
Frost Advisory: Minimum shelter temperature is forecast to be 33°F to 36°F during the locally defined growing season, on nights with light winds and clear skies.
Freeze Watch: Conditions are favorable for a freeze event to meet or exceed Freeze Warning criteria in the next 12 to 48 hours during the locally defined growing season.
Freeze Warning: Minimum shelter temperature is forecast to be 32°F or less during the locally defined growing season.
Aiena says the NWS is encouraging people to get prepared for extreme weather now.
"Be prepared for really cold temperatures, especially if there's a potential for a power outage. Make sure that you have supplies stocked up, or, more importantly, if you have a vehicle, make sure that you have some supplies in your vehicle," she adds. "Then when the cold actually arrives and you do need to leave your home, make sure that you layer clothing. It's better to layer a bunch of loose layers of clothing instead of just wearing one heavy layer. Make sure you cover exposed skin."
